Word Of Life Catholic Charismatic

Renewal Center Diocese of Erie

January 2019

Volume XXXIII Issue No. 01

“Amen, Amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and

will do greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)

January is the first month of the year,

and we find ourselves looking

forward, but also reviewing the past

year. It would be easy to be filled

with fear and trepidation as we

remember the catastrophic events of

2018. Riots, threats of war, fires,

floods, scandals, and storms are not

joyful memories. Yet, in the midst of

these tribulations, heroes have

emerged; anonymous, ordinary

people who have aided their

neighbors and sheltered the homeless.

Fireman, police officers, doctors,

nurses, and neighbors waded through

muddy water, stepped over ashes and

piles of rubble, and sometimes

through angry mobs to rescue and

bind up the psychical, emotional, and

spiritual wounds of the injured. Why

were they able to overcome their fear

in order to help? Since I do not know

these people personally, I cannot

speak for them; yet, I know what our

Lord teaches about how to make

choices in difficult times. These are

just a few scriptures that counsel us

about overcoming fear.

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear,”

(NABRE, 1 John 4:18)

Love is a powerful motivator. It

propels people to protect and care for

their family members and also their

neighbors—even those they do not

know.

“I command you: be strong and steadfast! Do not fear nor be

dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go,”

(NABRE, Joshua 1:9)

Fortitude and bravery come from

God. His strength will sustain us in

the most difficult situations. When

we turn to Him in times of trouble,

He gives us the strength to prevail.

“Have no anxiety at all, but in

everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your

requests known to God,” (NABRE, Philippians 4:6)

When we turn to God instead of

trying to go it alone, He will provide

all our needs.

“Do not fear: I am with you; do not be anxious: I am your God. I will

strengthen you; I will help you, and I will uphold you with my

victorious right hand,” (NABRE, Isaiah 41:10)

God is always with us. He carries us

when we do not have to strength to go

on. He is the One who fights for us as

we call upon His Name.

“For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and

love and self-control,” (NABRE, 2 Timothy 1:7)

Those who walk with God will not

fear.

I cannot know for sure what

motivated the individuals who were

heroic in the various crises of the past

year. What is clear is that they were

ordinary people who did

extraordinary things, and when asked,

many gave all the credit to God. It is

also interesting to note that God has

always worked miracles through

ordinary everyday people when they

put their trust in Him.

The Word of Life Board of Directors

recently met in prayer for the coming

year, and a prophecy was given. Our

Lord encouraged us to “get out of the

boat and walk on water!” Just as

Peter did in Matthew 14:22-33.

If we get out of the boat, we cannot

carry anything with us that will weigh

us down and cause us to sink. And

we must keep our eyes on Jesus

instead of the waves, remembering

that fear does not come from God and

that, only when Peter took his eyes

off of Jesus did he experience fear

and begin to sink. Where are our

eyes? What are we looking at?

It requires a lot of trust in the Lord to

get out of our comfort zone, walk on

water, and follow Jesus. Imagine the

faith that Peter had when He got right

out of that boat at Jesus’ call, defying

all human reason that would have

said, “YOU WILL DROWN!” But

it’s only then, with that deeper level

of trust and faith, that Jesus can take

us to the next higher level of our

calling. And because of HIM, we will

WALK ON WATER!!!

WALK ON WATER By Kathryn Wilcox

2

WORKING FOR GOD By Roseanne Blair

Right now I have several jobs. I am

employed by two companies and work in

three departments. However, I have the

best job ever! Sure, the two companies

that I work for are great, but working for

God is the best.

Talk about an awesome boss. I mean He’s

God. Who’s my mentor? You guessed it -

Jesus Christ. Wow! I have been

employed for some time. I’m not sure

when I got hired. Perhaps the day my

mother, Mary, had a baby girl. After all,

when I was baptized, I had a nun for a

God Mother. What a great start. My uncle

was my God Father. He was an alcoholic.

Well, none of us are perfect. My uncle

was always nice to me. Maybe he

watches over me from Heaven if God

allows it. God works in mysterious ways

that one day, we will fully understand.

I can’t quite describe my job duties. I am

a wife, mother, caregiver, co-worker,

fellow parishioner, writer, and those are

just a few of my responsibilities. There

are times when my duties change. My

invisible contract states that ‘people and

circumstances are subject to change.’

That is o.k. with me, though, sometimes a

little unnerving. I just have to seek out

my Mentor; He will set me straight.

I do get lots of benefits. I get to breathe

the breath of life during breaks. I get to

have glimpses of the sun rise and of

sunsets. I can take in the awe of a flower,

butterfly, newborn baby and so much

more. Oh, do I get paid? Yes. I am

constantly filled with joy from the Holy

Spirit. I haven’t reached retirement age,

but I know my Boss has a good plan in

place.

The way I understand it, when my job is

finished, there is an awesome ‘retirement

home.’ I think it is called Heaven. It

sounds wonderful. So I keep working

away, taking care of all of those He has

assigned to me and put in my path. I trust

my wonderful Boss.

Oh, by the way, God is always looking

for a few good people to work for him.

He has many tailored positions to fill. Just

pray to Him and listen for His call. He

knows you are qualified and He is the

best employer. You won’t be sorry.

People willing to

work for God,

Many positions to

be filled.

The pay isn’t

much, but the

retirement benefits

are out of this

world!

Pray to apply.

WE COME before the Lord to offer HIM our ‘extravagant love’ in

response to HIS ‘extravagant love.” We have expectant

faith as we bring our hearts before our all-loving, all-powerful,

Living God! We introduce a special

version of the ‘Mystical’ mysteries of the rosary, focusing on 4 important miracles of Jesus and His promise.

Come for a visit or spend the whole 24

hours with our Lord.

Exposition at 10am Friday

Benediction at 9am Saturday

Worship with Violin: 11pm Friday

3

I was sharing a prophecy from the

board meeting with a team member of

our ‘Beloved Daughters Prayer

Group’ as we walked through the

prison yard to share our Christmas

presentation. I said, “Our Lord told us

that this next year, we have to learn to

totally trust Him, get out of the nice

safe boat, and ‘walk on water.’”

We signed into the building and went

into the chapel. The cd player we

were promised, which was a neces-

sary tool for our program was not

there. We are not allowed to bring

one in, and we were assured that it

would be there. Our worship leader

asked the security guard about it, and

he said that ‘there was the only one

available and that the Hanukkah

group was meeting at the same time

and needed it.’

Our entire program was dependent on

the songs on the cd. We immediately

started to pray with Loretta (our wor-

ship leader) who was close to tears.

The prophecy came back to me. So I

said out loud, “Jesus wants us to trust

Him. He wants us to ‘walk on water.’

He will take care of it.” One of our

regular inmate attendees, Jeanette,

confirmed that she was given the

same word recently and joined with

us in a prayer of agreement. Then she

went and spoke to one of the guards

as we continued to pray. Within

minutes, the guard walked into the

room with, not one, but TWO cd

players because he wasn’t sure which

one would work!

Our program was truly anointed. The

Holy Spirit came so powerfully upon

the whole group that we were all in

tears. At the end we had a few

minutes left, so we asked if anyone

wanted to share. One woman shared

that she came from Muncy (a wom-

an’s prison near Philadelphia) and

was Muslim, but she was converted to

Christianity at the prison we were

visiting. She was going back to

Muncy in few days and was anxious

to evangelize and share her conver-

sion story there, so we prayed for an

anointing to be upon her in order to

evangelize. As we prayed, a team

member saw a white dove hovering

over her head!

This same woman also shared that, “If

anyone had ever told me that I would

accept Jesus, I wouldn’t have be-

lieved them! I used to just watch

those Christians who passed by me

and smiled warmly, but I never

thought that I would become a Chris-

tian.” Praise be to God!

It never ceases to amaze me when I

hear from a newly converted Chris-

tian that it has truly changed them on

the inside in a way that cannot be ful-

ly explained. You have to experience

it. It was easy to see the change in her

because she was just glowing!

As they were leaving, Jeanette said,

“you have no idea what a miracle Je-

sus worked tonight in this place; for

that guard to walk in with two cd

players, that just should not have hap-

pened.” And she said, “make sure you

tell your church community what hap-

pened here tonight.”

So I am telling all of you:

WHEN YOU TRUST JESUS,

HE PERFORMS MIRACLES!!!

YOU WALK ON WATER!!

LIKE CATS AND DOGS - CONTINUED By Jaci Phillips-Sabol, PhD,

11/16/18 WOL Board Prayer meeting: TA: My children, I do call you deeper. I call you deeper. I will lead you. I call you to grow your faith in Me. I am about challenging you. I will have My way in you. Bring the Holy Spirit to My people. Jaci: In this New Year, the Holy Spirit is inviting us to step out of the boat and walk on the water. Trust Him to take us to new things. He is waiting for His people to say “Yes, Lord.” He is waiting for His people to step out of the boat and walk on water. We say “Yes, Lord!”

PROPHECY REPORT

WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH STORMS By Kathy Wilcox

“But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their

testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.”

(Revelation 12:11)

By The Word of Their Testimony

4

PRAYER

GROUPS

† SUNDAY

Shalom in Jesus Prayer Group In home, DuBois, PA 6:30 PM

Rick Kenawell (814) 771-7932

Acts II Community

St. Julia Church, Erie, PA West Lake Rd. & Powell Ave. 6:30 PM

Jack Heintzel (814) 838-1325

† MONDAY

Disciples of the Holy Spirit

St. Mary's Church Annex 139 Church St., St. Marys, PA 6:00 PM

Mary Ellen Frank (814) 781-3904

St. Andrew Chapel

(formerly Leopold Center group) Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Rosary

1116 West 7th St., Erie PA 3:15 pm (before Mass)

Mary Lou Peterson (814) 866-5678

River of Life PG

St. Bridget Ch., Rm. 4, Meadville, PA

2nd & 4th Monday evenings 7:00 PM

Amy Mosbacher (814) 724-6104

† TUESDAY

Son of God Prayer Group Holy Rosary Church

2701 East Ave, Erie PA 7:00 PM

Pat Montefiori (814) 823-3968

St Stephen’s 12:30 – 2:00 PM

Social Center (includes Adoration in Church) 21 State St, Oil City PA or 6:30 - 7:30pm

Rosalie Bablak (814) 671-7993

† FRIDAY Light of the World Community

In Home Prayer Meeting

Call for location 1:00 PM T.A. Walkiewicz (814) 833-9717

† SATURDAY

God’s Holy Love

11 Russell St., Warren, PA 10:30 AM

Virginia Baker (781) 217-1683

† CALL FOR DETAILS

Promises Of God St. Mary's Church - Crown, PA

Denise Varo (814) 744-8199

Word of Life is completely dependent upon your donations

to spread the fire of the Holy Spirit in the Diocese of Erie.

Your donation, no matter how much, makes a big difference!

Contributions can be made by check made payable to:

Word of Life

Catholic Charismatic Renewal Center St. Mark Catholic Center

429 E. Grandview Blvd., Erie, Pa. 16514

Contributions can be made via text Text the word “give to our dedicated giving number, (570) 536-9187

You will receive a link to provide information and be set to use text to give.

See November 2018 Newsletter for complete details

Contributions can be made through the Tithe.ly app on your phone.

Apps for Tithe.ly are available for both iPhones and Android Phones

In the app store search for “tithe.ly” Choose the app with the green colored logo and install it. Open the app and select “create account”, fill in

Required fields. In ‘find a church’ search for “Word of Life Catholic” and

select Word of Life Catholic Charismatic Renewal Center

Contributions can be made on our website

https://www.eriecd.org/wordoflife/donate.html

Click on the green “give” button

It’s that easy! Donate today!

Estate Donations

Memorial Donations

Bequest in the amount of $1,000

from the Estate of Richard Zimmerman

MADE BY: IN MEMORY OF:

Darlene Wilkinson Donald and Jeannine Miller

Paul DeMarco His mother, Margaret DeMarco

Word of Life is completely dependent upon your donations

to spread the fire of the Holy Spirit in the Diocese of Erie.

Your donation, no matter how much, makes a big difference!

Contributions can be made by check made payable to:

Word of Life

Catholic Charismatic Renewal Center St. Mark Catholic Center

429 E. Grandview Blvd., Erie, Pa. 16514

Contributions can be made via text Text the word “give to our dedicated giving number, (570) 536-9187

You will receive a link to provide information and be set to use text to give.

See November 2018 Newsletter for complete details

Contributions can be made through the Tithe.ly app on your phone.

Apps for Tithe.ly are available for both iPhones and Android Phones

In the app store search for “tithe.ly” Choose the app with the green colored logo and install it. Open the app and select “create account”, fill in

Required fields. In ‘find a church’ search for “Word of Life Catholic” and

select Word of Life Catholic Charismatic Renewal Center

Contributions can be made on our website

https://www.eriecd.org/wordoflife/donate.html

Click on the green “give” button

It’s that easy! Donate today!

5

CREATED TO SERVE By T.A. Walkiewicz

We are simply God’s servants; his

co-workers. Each of us does the

work that the Lord gives us to do

(1 Corinthians 3:5-6). It is God

Himself who has made us what we

are and gives us new lives in

Christ. Long ago God planned

that we should spend these lives

helping others. We were created to

serve God, and we were placed on

this planet with a special

assignment.

We serve out of joy and deep

gratitude for what He’s done for

us. Service is a pathway to real

significance. Service is not

optional. Ephesians 2:10 says:

“We are truly his handiwork,

created in Christ Jesus to lead the

life of good deeds which God

prepared for us in advance.”

We were shaped to serve God.

Each of was uniquely designed to

do certain things. In 1 Corinthians

12:4-11 we read about the spiritual

gifts, the charisms, given for the

benefit of others. A Life in the

Spirit Seminar helps us to

“unpack” the nine charisms of the

Holy spirit: wisdom, knowledge,

faith, healing, miracles, prophecy,

discernment, tongues,

interpretation of tongues. When

God gives us an assignment, he

always equips us with what we

need to accomplish it.

How do you know when you are

serving God from your heart?

When you have enthusiasm!

What do you feel really

passionately about? This passion

can be used for God’s glory.

When you are doing what you love

to do, no one has to motivate you,

challenge you, or check up on you.

You have a gift for doing it.

When you have effectiveness!

Whenever you do what God wired

you to love to do, you get good at

it, but there must be discernment

because we can also become good

at doing things that were never in

God’s plan. When we see

ourselves passionately serving

others and loving it, it is likely part

of God’s plan for us. We have

natural God-given talents that we

were born with. What we are able

to do, God wants us to do.

When we serve in a way consistent

with the personality God has given

us, we experience fulfillment,

satisfaction, and fruitfulness. God

deserves our very best. He wants

us to focus on the talents He has

given us. Can we use our gifts,

abilities, and personalities and use

them to serve the people He has

given us: family, church,

community? As we keep

developing our gifts, these are be

enlarged through practice.

We serve God by serving others.

So pray for a genuine servant’s

heart which will enable you to

make yourself available to meet

the needs of others with real

dedication, faithfulness, and

commitment.

FIVE SIGNS OF A GENUINE

SERVANT:

SERVANTS think more about

others than themselves.

SERVANTS think like stewards,

not owners

SERVANTS think about their

work, not what others are doing.

SERVANTS base their identity in

Christ.

SERVANTS think of ministry as

an opportunity, not an

obligation.

“If we pray, we will believe; If we believe, we will love; If we love, we will serve.”

Mother Theresa of Calcutta

Holy Father, look upon this

humanity of ours that is taking its

first steps along the path of the

Third Millennium. Its life is still

deeply marked by hatred,

violence, and oppression, but the

thirst for justice, truth, and grace

still finds a space in the hearts of

many people, who are waiting for

someone to bring salvation

enacted by You through Your Son

Jesus. There is need for

courageous heralds of the Gospel,

for generous servants of suffering

humanity. Send holy priests to

Your Church, we pray, who may

sanctify Your people with the

tools of Your grace. Send

numerous consecrated men and

women, that they may show Your

holiness in the midst of the world.

Send holy laborers into Your

vineyard, that they may labor with

the fervor of charity and, moved

by Your Holy Spirit, may bring

the salvation of Christ to the

farthest ends of the Earth. Amen.

May the Lord of the harvest

provide many holy priestly and

religious vocations for His

Church!

—John Paul II—

Speaker: Jacqueline Phillips-Sabol PhD

Jaci has been a worship

leader, prayer group leader,

and dynamic speaker in the

charismatic renewal for over

20 years. Dr. Phillips is a

neuropsychologist, trained to diagnose

brain disorders and is the former director

of the Neurocognitive Disorders Center at

the University of Texas at Houston.

Worship led by Jaci Phillips,

Brianna Erdman, & friends

with special guest violinist for

the Erie Philharmonic, Louis

Nicolia

This was a plea of a man to be able to stand

in the glory of the presence of the One he

loved. His plea was a yearning that was born out of intimacy (“I am pleased with you

and know you by name” Ex 33:17). Just as God desired relationship with Moses, He

desires intimacy with us. Let us seek Him and desire to know Him more deeply.

Draw deeper into the arms of the Living God. Come as Moses did, seeking more of

the Living God with all of his heart.

We cry out with Moses:

“Show us Your glory, Lord!”

Online registration link! https://tithe.ly/event-registration/#/427143

Registration form for Word of Life Event: “SHOW ME YOUR GLORY!” ANNUAL ‘GREATER THINGS’ CONFERENCE

Name (Print): _____________________________________________________________________________ Phone ___________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City: ________________________________ State: _________ Zip: ____________ Email: ________________________________________________________

Please send registration form and enclosed event fee to the Word of Life Office (make check payable to Word of Life Center):

Word of Life Charismatic Renewal Center

St. Mark Catholic Center

429 E. Grandview Blvd., Erie, PA 16514

*If registration fee is a hardship or for questions, please contact TA Walkiewicz at: (814) 833- 9717 or wolccrc@eriercd.org

(previously scheduled for October 2018, but postponed due to circumstances beyond our control)

7

AVOIDING WORLDLINESS By Michael Brown

We often hear the term "worldliness."

In the Bible, Jesus warns of this a

number of times. So did His disciples.

Take the reading used at Mass: "Do

you not know that to be a lover of the

world means enmity with God?

Therefore, whoever wants to be a

lover of the world makes himself an

enemy of God" (James 4:1-10). That's

stark language.

What is worldliness? It's earthy; it's

being more concerned with worldly

affairs than spiritual ones. It's being

focused on scandal. It's being

judgmental. Or argumentative. It's

looking at the surface of religion

instead of its roots. It's focusing on

the physical, instead of the

supernatural. It's making idols out of

things and creatures and pleasures of

this planet.

When someone loses property or a

friend, and this becomes an obsession

-- a constant mourning, when we are

what some call atrabilious -- then

there is a lack of balance tilted toward

the worldly. To mourn over physical

things or a person in an unusually

prolonged way and even become

angry about it is an indication of

spiritual immaturity. All worldliness

indicates this.

That doesn't mean we don't pay

attention to what's going on around

us. Let's face it: especially these days,

what's happening in the news carries

spiritual implications -- often grave

ones. They are "signs of the times."

We must be cognizant of such events.

But we must not be not consumed or

discouraged by them. We should not

have them as our focus -- nor worldly

music and entertainments (and food).

Be of the world, said Jesus, but not

part of it. Often, we find ourselves

under attack from the enemy because

we are treading on his territory --

partaking of it.

When we are "of the world," we are

of the earth; we are caterpillars

instead of butterflies; we are religious

without being spiritual. "And do not

be conformed to this world,"

states Romans 12:2, "but be

transformed by the renewing of your

mind." Being worldly is "double-

mindedness."

Remember that we are in a war

between spirit and flesh and what

grows is what you feed within

yourself.

James 4:4 tells us starkly that

"friendship with the world is hatred

toward God." He goes on to say --

even tougher -- that "anyone who

chooses to be a friend of the world

becomes an enemy of God." That

doesn't mean running off to a

Catholic commune. It means

testifying to the world by the way you

believe and act. Real men are:

humble.

We must really think Jesus all the

time, through the day, in all episodes

and junctions of life. One does not

simply tend to be religious -- sit in a

church once a week -- and become

spiritual any more than one who is in

a garage automatically becomes a

mechanic. We must have a

commitment to eternity. It should

constantly be on our minds.

Be of the world, to repeat, but not part

of it. Can this cause "problems"?

Well, it makes many situations in life

awkward, and those sensing your

unworldliness will often resist, shun,

or even antagonize you. Butterflies

have predators. But one must hold the

ground of the risen Lord, for

worldliness is the exact opposite of

holiness and true wisdom derives not

from human philosophy but the

Wisdom of God. Butterflies and birds

-- large and small, delicate and tough

-- fly above circumstances; they are

new creatures, as it says in 2

Corinthians 5:17 ("Therefore if any

man be in Christ, he is a new

creature: old things are passed away;

behold, all things are become new.")

They have been through the crawling

caterpillar stage and now transcend it

-- have shed the cloak of the earth.

They can see ultraviolet light: their

perception is now beyond what it

was.

Narrow worldly visions -- blindness -

- as well as extended sorrow stem

from self-love, self-pity, obsession

with the faults of others, and a lack of

Godly knowledge.

The Lord loves those in the world but

wants them in His Kingdom, not the

kingdoms of this earth, which tempt

us every waking moment and attempt

to keep us attached to the mud and

scandal of this planet instead of the

Light radiating from God.

Source: https://www.spiritdaily.com/

worldinessarchive.htm

A New Year’s Prayer

May God make your year a happy one!

Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain,

But by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;

Not by making your path easy, But by making you sturdy

to travel any path; Not by taking hardships from you, But by taking fear from your heart;

Not by granting you unbroken sunshine,

But by keeping your face bright, even in the shadows;

Not by making your life always pleasant,

But by showing you when people and their causes need you most,

and by making you anxious to be there to help.

God’s love, peace, hope and joy to

you for the year ahead.

Anonymous

8

Reflections is published monthly by:

Word of Life Catholic

Charismatic Renewal Center

429 E. Grandview Blvd, Erie PA 16514

Phone: (814) 824-1286

Fax: (814) 824-1285

e-mail: wolccrc@eriercd.org

website: www.eriercd.org/wordoflife

www.facebook.com/wolccrc

The office is generally open limited hours.

Please call before coming.

The purpose of this newsletter is to proclaim

the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to provide teaching, news and calendar of events, which

help to foster Catholic Charismatic Renewal

throughout the Diocese of Erie.

This newsletter may be copied to put in

churches or shared with others.

CHIEF EDITOR Jacqueline Phillips-Sabol, PhD

EDITORS Elaine Sinnott; Amy Mosbacher

FORMATTING

Elaine Sinnott; Loretta Laufer

Volume XXXIII Issue No. 01

Non-Profit

Organization

U.S Postage

PAID

Erie, PA

Permit No. 285

Word Of Life Catholic Charismatic

Renewal Center

DIOCESE OF ERIE 429 East Grandview Blvd.

Erie, PA 16514

January 2019